welcome to nhk world "newsline." one man is carrying the expectations of more than a billion people on his shoulders. xi jinping is now in charge of china, an economic superpower that has enjoyed the upside of growth and is now coming to terms with the down side. xi is part of the communist party's next generation of leaders who came to power after a week of meetings and negotiations. he's taking over as the country's general secretary and top military commander. nhk world's james tengan watched this political transition unfold in beijing. he joins us now. jam james. >> reporter: the communist party unveiled its new leadership a day after its long, week-long congress wrapped up. after many months of speculation, we found out who is taking charge in less than a minute. now the future of the world's most populous nation is in the

hands of seven men. [ applause ] xi and six other senior officials appeared before the media inside the great hall of the people in beijing. >> translator: our responsibility is to rally and lead the party and chinese people of all ethnic groups. we take up the historical baton from the older generation. >> reporter: china's new leader vowed to take action on issues such as jobs, social security and corruption. >> translator: in the new environment, our party faces many tough challenges. there are numerous pressing problems within the party and senior ranks that need to be resolved, especially corruption and the acceptance of bribes. >> reporter: xi jinping is taking over the position of general secretary from hu jintao. he will lead the politburo's standing committee, china's main decision-making body. the number of seats on the committee has been reduced to

seven from nine. analysts say the party made the change to speed up the decision-making process. xi jinping and another top official, li keqiang, have been on the standing committee since 2007. the rest of the members are new. xi introduced them all during his speech. >> zhang dejiang. yu zhengsheng. liu yunshan. wang qishan. zhang gaoli.

>> reporter: the majority of officials on the standing committee are allies of former president who retired from politics nearly a decade ago. they face a number of challenges. one is wrapping up china's slowing economic engine. another is addressing growing social discontent over the widening wealth gap and the corruption by government officials xi mentioned in his speech. analysts speculated whether president hu would stay on as chairman of the party's military commission after stepping down as general secretary. that's what he did before retired. but it appears hu is leaving politics entirely, and so xi jinping will control both the party and the military. he's set to take over as president next year.

china's political machine has many moving parts. it's sometimes hard to figure out how everything fits together. so we turned to an expert for help. takagi of the japan institute of international affairs gave us some insight on the party's transition of power. >> he explains his role as coordinator rather than the leader, and he was emphasizing how he carried on on the tasks established by his predecessor and how he sensed a need of the people in the locality, and he formed consensus. so, i don't think he's been taking a very strong leadership, so i think he will try very hard

to forge skoensconsensus, rathe leading. five new members are all over 64. and if the current rule that anybody under -- over 68 would not qualify to be on the committee is going to be applied next time, they will all have to go. so, this is not the kind of makeup of a top echelon which is going to last for ten years. there will be another tug-of-war for top positions within a few years. the newly appointed vice chairman of this commission are both prodigy of hu jintao, so i

think he felt very safe to step down. secondly, i think he wanted to strengthen institutional development of chinese political system, and he wanted to stop the practice of outgoing dealership continuing to exert influence behind the scene, so that's the second thing. thirdly, he did manage to leave his legacy in the party charter. he left gracefully, i think. china is now facing a myriad of consequences of very fast the serious environmental degradation, social instability, and china is getting increasingly difficult to manage. depending on how successful they

are in dealing with this, their approach to foreign relations vary rather dramatically. >> reporter: so, we've heard from the experts. now nhk world's beijing correspondent meche tackaa myakka joins us with what chinese people are saying about the communist party's new leadership. mish tacka, what are people telling you? >> well, they have different expectations for the country's next generation of leaders. i spoke to beijing residents shortly after the party's official announcement. not many people commented on xi jinping's popularity. this suggests they will likely leave them for the coming decade. opinions on the new leadership varied from widely hopeful to completely indifferent. >> translator: with the way

things are now, i have no expectations for the government. nothing would change. >> other chinese we spoke to say they want the new leadership to fix the country's social problems. >> translator: there are big economic disparities between the regions. i want the new leader to bring about improvements. >> translator: corruption is still a huge problem. i would like to see more done to eradicate it. >> reporter: china covered the power and we profiled the seven standing committee members, include i including xi jinping and lee kequ ainge. they suggested the transition was a success and it would show people in rural areas don

festive costumes to celebrate. >> what challenges will the leadership likely face? >> reporter: various interparty forces, consultants and reformists are looking to boost their crowd. xi jinping and other leaders will need to balance these policies. it will be difficult, but they all agree the party must stay in power. to this end, they need to prove they are ready to be rulers. last week at the opening address of the communist party congress, president hu reiterated the importance of economic growth. this indicates he is aware the only way they can continue to enjoy the public support is to maintain strong economic growth and improve the standard of living. however, this lack of growth has resulted in widening income gap and the corruption. the public is increasingly upset

over these problems. the new party leaders will need to overcome resistance from vested interests and foreign solutions. >> reporter: thank you very much, michitaka. michitaka yamaka, our beijing correspondent. china's next change comes next year when xi jinping is expected to take over as president and li keqiang should become premier. the hu jintao and wen jiabao era will officially come to a close. now it's up to the next generation of leaders to steer china forward. people we met, the hopeful and the critical, all share an understanding that their country's entering a new phase. we'll continue to watch things unfold here and show you where this dynamic and complex nation is going. but for now, that wraps up our coverage from beijing. i'm james tengan. >> james, thanks. north korean leader kim

jong-un has sent a congratulatory telegram to china's new leader, xi jinping. north korea state-run media quoted the telegram as saying xi's election to the post is an indication of the people's trust and expectations at a time when socialism is entering a new stage. the telegram said that kim believes the friendly ties between china and north korea will become stronger, as desired by the people of both countries. china is north korea's biggest ally. the economic ties between the two countries, including trade and investment, have strengthened in recent years. north korea wants to rebuild its economy with china's kropsi cooperation. attention is focused on when kim will schedule talks with the new leaders. the eurozone economic shrank from july to september compared to the previous three months. this is a decline for the second quarter in a row.

this also means the common currency block slid into a recession. the european union's data office released the preliminary figure of gross domestic product for the third quarter of this year. it fell 0.1% from the previous three months. among the 17 nations in the eurozone, portugal's gdp fell 0.8%, spain slumped 0.3%. germany and france, the strongest economies within the eurozone, both posted a 0.2% growth in the third quarter, but compared to a year earlier, the greek economy was down 7.2% in the quarter. let's check on the markets. european shares are lower as the eurozone economy has gone back into recession. london shares down about 0.3%. frankfurt, the dax index declining almost 0.5%, and the cac 40 in paris declining by

0.5%. meanwhile, share prices across the asian europe was lower everywhere but japan because of the expectations to reach an agreement before the fiscal cliff fades. the kospi shed 1.2%. chinese stocks extended losses after the closely watched announcement of the new leadership in the country. the shanghai composite fell 1.2%. hong kong's hang seng slipped 1.5%. let's take a look at currencies. the yen fell to its lowest level in more than six months against the dollar. the dollar/yen 81.14-18. investors feel japan's general election next month may bring in a government that will carry out more monetary easing. the euro is recovering to the 103-yen level, now at 103.58 to 61. representatives from japan's farming sector rallied in tokyo. they're urging the government not to take part in talks on a free trade deal under the trans-pacific partnership.

japan has been in talks with countries involved in the u.s.-led trade negotiations. about 1,500 people gathered at the rally sponsored by the central union of agricultural cooperatives. >> translator: japan's participation in the trade deal would give a devastating blow to the country's agriculture. it would change everything in the regional economies and communities. >> the protesters adopted a resolution which emphasized their determination to try to stop the government's participation. the issue is expected to be discussed at the annual asean summit that opens in cambodia next week. the group is concerned prime minister yoshihiko noda may take that occasion to express japan's participation in the free trade talks. in south korea, the disparity between large and small enterprises is expected to be a major issue in next month's presidential election. small-sized stores across the nation are protesting the opening of big supermarkets in

their neighborhoods. 300 people, including small shop owners, rallied in seoul. they're making demands to supermarkets to close for one day over weekends when customer traffic is high. small retailers are under pressure from large stores in their neighborhood. supermarket operators are making huge profits by taking advantage of their diversified business. meanwhile, the government brought together the two sides for the first meeting. executives of leading chain store operators met with representatives of a small retailers association. in response to complaints from family-run shops, the managers of chain operators proposed they would not set up stores in cities with a population of 300,000 or less. they also offered to close for one weekday twice a month. texas instruments will withdraw from making chips for smartphones and tablet computers. that's despite the fact that more and more people are using these devices.

the major u.s. chipmaker said it would stop costly spending in a very competitive business of smartphones and tablets. it would be difficult to rival apple and samsung, which dominate the markets. instead, texas instruments will focus on making chips for autos and industrial machinery. the firm also announced a plan to cut 1,700 jobs. that's about 5% of its global workforce. looking at other chipmakers, intel has been leading the industry for a long time, but now it's also lagging behind in the wireless sector. meanwhile, qualcomm and nvidia are also showing fast growth. japan's space agency and a commercial machinery maker jointly developed a camera for use on site at the crippled fukushima nuclear power plant. the device will help in the cleanup of radioactive materials that leaked out. japan aerospace exploration agency and mitsubishi heavy industry unveiled a prototype on

thursday. the camera is equipped with a special sensor for high radiation spots. the radioactive status is captured by the camera and shown on a monitor in red, yellow or green. they each indicate different levels of contamination intensity. the developers say the camera will help protect people working on decontamination and check the effectiveness of their work. the camera has a wide front view of 180 degrees. this is a much wider angle than what the other makers have already made and sold. this product will be put on the market by march next year. here's more of the latest market figures.

it's almost winter in south korea, the time of year when people make kimchi, but recently, fewer koreans have been making this traditional formatted dish themselves, instead opting to just buy it. but now hundreds have gathered in downtown seoul to make a huge batch. nhk world's anna jung takes us there. >> reporter: koreans say there's nothing better than a spicy dish of kimchi to round off a meal. it's made in november for winter eating. usually, kimchi was prepared at home, but here, about 2,300 people are ready to make it in front of city hall in seoul. within three hours of starting, they plan to have made about 140

tons. they also hope to set a guinness world record for the amount of kimchi they make. to make the kimchi, you clean the cabbage first and then you pickle and salt it. next, mix it with seasoning of red pepper, garlic, ginger and salted shrimps or anchovies. finally, they ferment it for several days. then it's ready to eat. traditionally, homemade kimchi always featured mother's distinctive touch and flavor, but that's changing. now, many koreans get their kimchi from supermarkets. all kinds are available, including basic and even nonspicy for the kids. >> translator: it's easier and cheaper to buy kimchi, rather than making it at home. cabbag cabbages, red peppers and all the other ingredients are expensive.

>> reporter: it's reached the stage where south koreans don't make as much kimchi as they used to. ingredients have become costly. >> translator: the price of vegetables is rising and buying various ingredients is a burden on my family. >> reporter: the cost of making this food staple has risen 50% during the past five years. on average, the price of making a batch last year was $165. so, now when people get the urge to eat kimchi, they often buy it. >> translator: customers like our kimchi, and our profits have increased by 40% compared to last year. >> reporter: but tradition-minded koreans haven't given up. the museum of kimchi is located in seoul. for more than a quarter of a

century, it's been showing koreans and foreigners the benefits of the national dish. as fewer families pass down the tradition of making kimchi, lots of people come here for these popular courses. classes take place every week. today it was for young adults, especially beginners. >> translator: i have never tried making kimchi before, so i wanted to learn how to do it. >> reporter: instructors also teach students the importance of making kimchi. they also describe how eating it affects people. >> translator: making and eating kimchi is essential for koreans. i want to hand down traditional, homemade kimchi recipes to as many people as possible. >> reporter: i eat kimchi almost every day, just like many other koreans, but i've never actually made it before, so today i'm going to try.

this woman is an expert in making kimchi, so she's going to show me how to do it. >> reporter: so, i have to spread the spice on each leaf, like this. it's such hard work, isn't it? so, even though it's hard work, she says it's really fun. so, now i have found that it takes so much time and effort to prepare, i can appreciate kimchi even more. afterwards, this kimchi will be given to senior citizens if living alone and people in need. anna jung, nhk world, seoul. there's snow in northern japan. meteorologist robert speta is here with the details. robert. >> well, yes, i first want to

start off by keying in on this cloud cover over the sea of japan. that's coming in out of russia. we have that cold air moving over the relatively warm waters, and that's creating some sea-effect snow in northern japan, actually in fukushima prefecture. some of the higher elevations saw up to 20 centimeters of snow in the past 24 hours. here's rainfall in yamagata prefecture, upwards of about 263 millimeters of rain was reported here into the past several days. now as we go into the next 24 hours into friday, wind is going to start to change direction and bring in fairer conditions just on friday, because you see this area in blue coming in from the west? that's bringing some heavy rain showers all across japan on your saturday going into sunday, so it's going to be a wet and windy one out here, and where this is coming from is central and eastern china. we have this developing low here. that's going to start to pull off towards the east, and with it, bringing those rain showers. actually, there in china around the yun zi river, and upwards to

100 millimeters as well. let's look south into the tropics. we have our tropical depression along the southern portions of vietnam. it's slowly just moving ever so slowly off towards the north at this time, really not going anywhere very fast, does not have very many gusty winds with it. really, the main threat with this one is going to be the rainfall right near the coastline, up to about 100 to 120 millimeters could be seen here through the next 48 hours. so, flooding and landslides going to be high at risk, but also over northern luzon, we have this moisture inflow off the philippine sea that will bring heavy rainfall for you as well. unrelated to this system, but still, the tropics are still very active out across much of this region. temperatures remaining on the warm side, too. bangkok with a high of 34, beijing at 11, and ulan bator getting up to only minus 9 here on your friday. look over towards the americas with high pressure dominating much of the united states and canada, keeping the skies clear here. you see on the precipitation outlook, nothing much going on. we do have a system moving just off the coastline of the

southeastern u.s. that's going to start to bring fairer weather. the one system we are continuing to watch is this one here moving into northern california, around san francisco. if you have any flights in or out of here, check ahead of time. this is going to create some rain, maybe some fog with it, and it is going to be reducing visibilities, so you'll want to check on that. even out to the sierra nevadas, some snowfall will be accompanying it as well. as far as temperatures, also on the cool side with clear skies. chicago, only a high of 10, winnipeg minus 8 here going through your afternoon hours. now these temperatures will start to rebound across much of the country into the weekend, getting back to a more seasonable level. over towards europe, high pressure also dominating here. not much going on in central and eastern europe. we have a system just off the coast of portugal, starting to move onshore, will be bringing heavy rainfall. even around the straits of gibraltar, you could be seeing upwards of some very gusty winds as this continues to move overhead. and also into italy, some heavy rain showers here due to a low pressure area continuing to linger. that's going to move to the east into the balkans, bringing heavy

rainfall. even in illustrate taly, you co flash floods. last week we had the significant flooding in and around there. also into northern portions of the uk, another area that will have misty rain showers. london with a high of 9, paris with 8. and eastern europe, single-digit temperatures through your thursday, moscow with a high of 5. here's a look at your extended forecast.

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